


Jewels and Steel

by AbsinthexMind



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Surprise Pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsinthexMind/pseuds/AbsinthexMind
Summary: Just to see him, you would rid yourself of your magnificent jewels and expensively crafted gowns. Become a mere peasant girl.





	Jewels and Steel

You knew you would get in big trouble if you were caught. To you though, Gendry was worth the risk. Ridding yourself of all fancy clothing that tipped off your high-rank birth. Shedding your jewels that your mother had showered upon you that made you glitter like an invaluable treasure. You dawned a raggedy cloak that you hid at the bottom of your trunk and made sure the hood covered your identity. The prospect of seeing the boy you loved gave you courage to sneak out of your grand gilded cage and skulk through the underground tunnels that you had played in when you were younger. You had explored them intensively and that was how you got out and met Gendry for the first time. To him you were a simple common girl without any illustrious titles. 

When you had first met him it was obvious that he had had no prior interactions with girls his own age. Gendry had been painfully shy, unaware of his own good looks that could get him any lady he wanted. He wasn’t that kind of guy though. It wasn’t until you showed interest in his bull’s helmet that he began opening up to you. 

The one downside of visiting Gendry was passing through the impoverished streets of Flea Bottom. Streets filled with dirt and even sometimes literal shit often made the journey feel not worth it. Looking at these people who were forced to live in such conditions made you feel bad. You lived in a life filled with luxury while people suffered in squalor. You were utterly spoiled and had never lived a difficult day in your life. You felt despicable. Even more so that your family wouldn’t do anything about it. 

Seeing Gendry’s sweat and dirt covered face made you forget about the tragic things you had seen. No amount of dirt could hide his cobalt eyes nor the crinkle of them when he smiled at you. 

At the sight of you he puts down his tools and uses a rag to wipe his face and hands. “I was wondering when you’d be here. You were taking longer than usual. I was worried that. . . that something happened to you.” 

“As you can see I am alive and well.” You chime cheerily while removing your hood. He always did worry about you. A pretty, young, maid like yourself shouldn’t be traveling alone. It was even more risky if anyone was to notice that you were of high birth. Who knows if you would ever make it back home alive if that truth were to come out. 

Gendry doesn’t appear too convinced by your optimistic chipper. Clanging from nearby fellow blacksmiths melts into a familiar song to you. Unclasping your cloak you drape it on a hook that Gendry had mounted onto one of the supporting wood columns just for you. Even if you wore dingy clothing, Gendry still deemed them too nice to be discarded on his filthy workshop floor. His large, callused, hands hand over an apron so that you didn’t get your gown filthy either. To Gendry, you were a lady after all and shouldn’t dirty yourself. For someone having been born and raised in Flea Bottom Gendry was the most chivalrous man you had ever met. And that said a lot. Class and titles meant absolutely nothing. You knew many knights and lords who were complete jackasses. Gendry treated you better than any high born lord. He didn’t make obscene comments about you or demean your worth because of your gender. 

With the same dirty rag he had used to clean himself, he wipes off a stool for you to perch on. “My lady, your throne.” 

You giggle and give him a curtsy. “So chivalrous! You make me blush, my lord.” Although it was Gendry who was truly blushing now. Even with his face still slightly smudged with sweat and grime you could easily pinpoint the vibrant red that made his cheeks bloom like a rose. It made him look so much like a young boy, the young boy you knew he was despite him having a body of a full grown man. The two of you were of the same age yet Gendry had been forced to grow up quickly due to his environment. His taut muscles (which you had been guilty of staring at) and his rough hands were proof of that. He never complained about his life though. Gendry enjoyed the life of a blacksmith’s apprentice, proud of each piece that he made by himself. 

You hop onto the stool, crossing your ankles and setting your hands on your lap. “So, let’s see what you’ve got.” 

Shining brightly like the polished armor he made, Gendry scurries around his workshop to collect what he had been working on since you last saw him. Not orders that he had been commissioned, but his own designs. Pieces that belonged solely to him. Ones that he was so proud of that he’d never sell them. 

Beautiful. Each and every one of them. You could visibly see all the love he put into his work. You appraised each one, seeing Gendry glow with obvious pride. 

“There is one more I’ve been working on. . .” He adds hesitantly, almost in a shy manner. Not looking at you he goes to retrieve a small little wooden box. You crane your neck trying to get a better look at it. It was too small to hold even a tiny dagger. Furrowing your brow you delicately take it from his outstretched hand, fingers brushing against his palm in doing so. Finger flipping open the latch you find a small metal ring. Bright as star light and giving off a shine that alluded to warmth. Clumsily engraved on it were what looked like a scatter of leaves, at least that’s what you surmised. They otherwise looked like scribbles. 

You bring it up to your eye. “It’s lovely. You’re making jewelry now?” 

Running his tongue nervously over chapped lips he shakes his head. “No. . . Only for you. . .” 

Butterflies take wing in your belly as you meet his gaze. “For. . . For me?” 

“If you’ll have it.” In other words ‘If you’ll have me.’ Gendry may have been a gentleman but you knew he wasn’t one for sweet words or poems. This gesture meant so much more to you though. 

You slip it onto your left ring finger. It fit perfectly. “I love it.” You breathe out a little dreamily. 

_I love you._

“I’m glad you like it, my lady.” He ducks his head to hide his blush. 

_I love you too._

It wasn’t as nice as your other rings, but you loved it nevertheless with all its imperfections.   
  
  
  
  
  


You were late. Gods have mercy on you. You had spent to much time at Gendry’s. 

You ran full speed through the secret tunnels, up to the cellars and back into your home. Panting and abdomen on fire, you lean against the wall to catch your breath. At least you were home. 

“What are you doing out here? I thought you were still nap-. . . What are you wearing?” 

May the Stranger take you for he was not as terrifying as your mother. Cersei Lannister. 

You will your brain to conjure up an excuse, any lie would do. Words failed you though as you gaped at her beautiful, furious, face. Green eyes, much like your own, bore down on you. You would rather take on the Hound and the Mountain at the same time than your regal mother. 

“I-I went out for some fresh air.” 

Lame. Totally and completely lame. And your mom knew as well that you were full of shit. Cersei grabs your arm like the naughty child you were and dragged you back to your room for interrogation. She could lecture you all she wanted, you would never give away Gendry. She’d probably have the poor boy flayed, if he was lucky. 

Cersei, despite being known as a ruthless beauty, didn’t have it in her to discipline her children. They were the only thing in this world that she truly loved. That was also why your brother Joffrey was a terrible cunt. She did give you a mighty good tongue lashing though. Stripped of your peasant garb she had your hand maids clean you thoroughly before she left and locked the doors behind her. She hadn’t noticed the ring though as you kept it safely inside of your curled fist. 

Small blessings you supposed. 

Not that your mother’s words would stop you from visiting Gendry again. You just had to be much more careful. Much more sneakier. And you were sure you could do it. Although Cersei would probably post more guards around you, it was nothing new. You’d been running away from your guards since the very moment you knew how to walk. 

You slip his ring back onto your finger and smile to yourself. He hadn’t told you outright of his feelings for you, but he wouldn’t have made you the ring if he didn’t love you. There was a sad pull at your chest. Nothing could ever prosper from your relationship with him. You were a princess, your father was the king of all the seven kingdoms. You would be married off to the highest bidding lord to gain favors for your father. 

It wasn’t right letting your relationship with Gendry continue, even if the two of you haven’t even kissed yet. You wanted to live in the fantasy a little while longer.   
  
*   
  
  
  


A hint left by the late Jon Arryn. That’s what Ned was chasing after through all of King’s Landing. The last hints left by a dead man. It certainly didn’t serve the Lord of the Eyrie too well. 

There he was though, venturing deep into the slums of Flea Bottom. Shit covered streets and the looks of hollowed, hungry, eyes staring back at him as he and his men made their way to the Street of Steel. A blacksmith’s shop run by a man named Tobho Mott. That’s where Arryn’s last bit of information left Ned. He didn’t know what to expect when he would get there. More secrets to uncover, more of his time taken up. Yet he owed it to Lord Arryn. The man had raised him, taken him under his wing. This was possibly the reason why he had died, Ned had guessed. The old man must have been sticking his nose into too many secrets and deemed a threat. Cat had warned him that it was the Lannister’s doing. That they had murdered Jon Arryn. She had a lot of proof, but Ned still wanted to make certain. Although he didn’t like the golden lions he couldn’t just start pointing fingers at them just because of his dislike. Cersei was the queen. Even if Robert had been his best friend it would still be seen as a slight were he to accuse the Lannister woman and her family of murder. 

Vibrant laughter trickled out of the shop that belonged to Tobho Mott, the laughter of a maiden. It made Ned pause. Women had no business around these parts. He pressed on and peered into the shop. The master armorer stood with his back to the entrance of his shop while a young lady sat on a stool next to a rather large young man built like a bull. When the girl lifted her face up. . . 

She stared at him with naked shock. Wide green eyes like her mother revealing her fear as her long, heavy, black hair framed her face. The thick mane that she inherited from her father, the King of Westeros. And as the boy too trailed after her gaze, Ned saw why Jon Arryn had paid a visit to Mott’s shop. Deep, blue eyes examined him cautiously as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Sweat that clung to ink black hair. He looked the spitting image of Robert Baratheon in his younger years. 

Ned had found another one of Robert’s bastards. 

One that appeared far too close to (y/n) Baratheon.


End file.
